Seventh century Buddha statue destroyed by militants in Swat

The destruction of the historic monument took place on Saturday night, Muhammad Aqleem, Deputy Curator of Swat Museum, said.

“This is second attack on the seventh century statue of Buddha. The fresh attack caused irreparable loss to its head and also damaged its shoulders,” he added.

Aqleem maintained that the statue belonged to seventh century A.D, and it was the most complete and inspiring symbol of Gandahara Art.

After the historic statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, which were destroyed by the Taliban, the Swat statue was the sole example of Buddhist cultural heritage.

“It was seven meters tall and 20 feet high from the land, showing Buddha in meditation. I don’t know what they want to achieve by such actions,” The News quoted Aqleem, as saying.

Aqleem said he had reported the incident to the local police but he did not think that the police would be able to protect Buddhist cultural sites in Swat, as they themselves were the victims of terrorist attacks. (ANI)